Cyleste: It is a great day...

((Yes, finally got the bio up. Apologies for it being so long, but I just couldn't trim it any more without losing something.))

The orc warrior swung his axe back and forth, slamming it against her upraised shield. The young Draenei braced herself behind her shield as the energy of the crashing blows forced her to step back a little with each time. Screaming with rage, the orc brought his axe down hard, this time cleaving it into the shield edge and locking the blade in place. With a grunt, the orc tore at the shield with a free hand and pulled it from the girl, knocking her backwards onto the ground. Tossing the embedded shield and axe to the side, it charged at her, hands outreached and grasping. The Draenei rolled to her right at the last second, grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it in the orc’s face. Getting back on her hooves again, breathing heavily, she pulled her hammer from her side and held her stance waiting for the orc’s next move. The orc shook his head, sneezed and squinted at her, its breath coming out in low growls. The two sized each other up and looked for any sign of weakness. Suddenly, a shout from the orc began his charge at the young draenei, who nimbly leaped in the air and stepped on his chest and brought a hoof crashing down on its face and flipped back down returning to her stance. Blood flowed from the orc’s broken nose as it threw back its head and howled a battle cry. A flash of light appeared in her hand and she threw it into the face of the orc, swinging her hammer and landing a blow against the side of its head. The orc crumpled to the ground with a hard thump, with the young draenei dropping to her knees.

Vaek looked at his young apprentice. Even panting heavily from the stress of battle, he could see that she had become a warrior in her right. They were mopping after ambushing the orc patrol when he saw her and an orc locked in combat. Resisting the urge to step in, he watched her to see if the orc got the upper hand. Her speed, her stance, and her resolve, all were perfect. Sheathing his sword he walked over to Cyleste, standing before her kneeling form. “Well done.”, he said. Smiling to himself when she still didn’t rise, he knelt and placed a hand on her cheek and gently brought her to her feet. Looking into her eyes he saw fear, worry, and underneath it all that quiet determination he saw so long ago. He had been a young paladin then, not much older than she was now, freshly commissioned and dedicated. His first mission was to patrol the outlying towns, looking for raiders. The nightmare of the Legion’s taint was just beginning then, and already the impact was felt. Thousands died as villages, towns, and outposts fell to mysterious forces that seemed bent on bloodlust. The few that survived were herded into camps. His party had been passing through one of these camps when he first saw her, a dirty little girl who was tending to a small field of wildflowers. She stood up against dawning sky, the sun framing her head like a crown, and met his gaze. Vaek felt a shiver work through his soul at that look. He continued looking at her as the patrol passed through the camp until he lost sight of her. After the patrol, he returned to the camp and asked about the little girl. ‘Cyleste’ was her name, and her story was the same as most others in those early days. A razed village with a handful of rare survivors and no family to be found. She was one of the first refugees in that camp and had never really known any other life. Vaek decided to take her as his apprentice. Soon it became apparent that she was amazingly inquisitive, and he often would make gifts of books to her for completing her devotionals, or when she mastered an especially difficult passage or combat move. And as she got older, Cyleste became more daughter to him than student. As time moved on and the Legion’s war became more pronounced, word had arrived to Vaek that he needed to gather the evacuees from a nearby camp and bring them to the Exodar. So on the eve when he should have been dedicating his beloved Cyleste, Vaek instead found himself and his student running point for a group of evacuees. Their orders were clear. Get the evacuees to the Exodar with all haste. Once there, hold off any and all opposition for as long as possible.

Staring at her now, Vaek couldn’t help but feel a touch of pride. Bringing himself back to their present state, he looked over the horizon. It would be dawn soon, and they still had to get the evacuees to the Exodar before the Legion’s minions overwhelmed them. Gathering the last of the stragglers, Vaek and Cyleste led the way across the desolate, dusty landscape. Crossing over the last hill, they could see the Exodar in the distance. Already, there was a crowd gathered on the gantries, a quiet chaos and sense of urgency in the air as the ship’s crew and the Vindicators struggled to keep things orderly. Vaek and his evacuees climbed their way down the hill and reached the outlying perimeter that had been hastily set up. All of them knew it was a matter of time before the orc armies and their demons came. Here they would stand. Soldiers milled about, some adjusting gear, others staring off in the distance and looking for any signs. Vaek stopped his group once they were inside the perimeter so they could wait for the slower ones to make their way through. The Exodar wasn’t far now, the mist rising from the engines as they were warming up. It was nearly morning and Vaek turned to Cyleste to tell her something about the younger evacuees when he felt ,rather than heard, the war drums. It was as if a crystal silence hung in the air at that moment with every pair of eyes turned to the horizon. In the distance, the sun broke the first rays of light against the land, and wisps of thick, black smoke rose from the ground, making every man, woman, and child shudder inside. The Legion was on the march.

The silence shattered, and every one began screaming. The quiet chaotic loading had become a mad rush to board the ship. Vindicators and military commanders shouted orders. Soldiers scrambled into armor and onto their posts. Vaek turned to his group, most of which were already rushing towards the ship, and shouted at them to hurry. The older and wounded members of the party struggled to keep up, knowing that they were running for their lives now. Grabbing Cyleste, Vaek ran for the battle lines. There was nothing left for them to do now. He and Cyleste brought as many people as they could find to the ship, and now there was only the one task left. The dawn grew lighter, showing more wisps of smoke rising from ground and the orcish war drums starting to be heard. All around Vaek, soldiers got into position and steeled themselves. From across the plateau, a rising chours of shouts, chants and drums beating in time began to roll across them like wind off the coast. Vaek looked over at Cyleste, seeing her back in her battle stance, hammer in her hand and her gaze set on the distant field. At that moment, the rising sun crowned above her head as it had on that first day. A phrase ran through Vaek’s mind from when he was a student , listening to his master’s teachings “That which we should have said, we have not said. That which we should have done, we have not done”. Cyleste was only an apprentice now, but she had long proven herself a paladin of the Light. There were ceremonies, rituals and forms that were to be obeyed before she could formally take the role, but now times were different, and there wasn’t much time left. Feeling his gaze on her, Cyleste turned and looked at him. “Yes, Master?”, she asked. “Come over here, Cyleste. We have something to discuss”, he replied, motioning her away from the battle line. “Cyleste, I need you to go with the evacuees”, he told her,” See them to the ship and make sure they get on board safely.” Cyleste looked at him carefully, tilting her head to the side. Seeing this, Vaek added “This is an order, Cyleste. Here, give me your hammer”. Handing him her hammer, her eyes grew in horror as he unstrapped his sword and handed it to her. “Take this, you’ll need it to protect the others” he said, holding it out to her. “No”, she said, shaking her head “I’m staying with you. I swore a vow”. Vaek shouted, “DAMMIT, student, do as I…” he paused, catching his temper. He stole a glance back to the horizon. The Legion was coming closer now, the demon-fire and magic seemed to electrify the air. They had no time left, but still he needed a few moments more. Taking a deep breath, he placed an hand on her shoulder and gesturned towards the Exodar and the crowd of evacuees scrambling to get aboard. “Look at them, Cyleste,” he said softly beside her, “look at them carefully. They’re all we have left.” Cyleste stared at the evacuees, seeing the haunted and scared look on each of their faces. Most too weak or old to stand and fight, and those that could were carrying what weapons they could find, mostly farming tools. More than one carried only a small knife used to skin and bone small game. Those that had actual weapons picked them up as they came to them and were held in their unfamiliar hands. Seeing the answer in her eyes, Vaek continued “Once we were a proud race, our strength equaled to the size of our hearts. Now, we scramble to flee with what little is left to us. The Light is dimmed for us, but still it burns.” Vaek looked towards the armies approach, now appearing as a dark wave of dust and smoke pouring over the surrounding hills and valleys. “We lost our homes here”, he said, “The Legion will not rest until we are eliminated, every man, woman and child. We cannot fight them ourselves, but we are not yet lost. The Naaru have revealed that there are those who fought the Burning Legion and their dark allies. So we now must seek refuge and ally with them.” Turning to face her, Vaek looked into Cyleste eyes. “Find them. Find them and protect our people.” Cyleste looked at the ground, tears beginning to burn in her eyes. He was right of course, She knew he was right. The legion was too much for them to fight alone. They hounded and hunted her people to the breaking point, and now they needed not just allies, but to regain their strength and retrain their forces. “Kneel before me, student” Vaek spoke, trying to keep the panic from his voice. The orcs and their demonic allies were fast approaching, and he gave a silent wish to give him just a little more time. Cyleste knelt before her master, tears streaming from her closed eyes and down her face. Placing a hand over her head, Vaek gave a small prayer “You’ve come so far, my dear student. You’ve grown beyond every expectation I could ever hope for.” A glow appeared to come from his hand and briefly enveloped Cyleste body before fading away. “Now rise, Lady Cyleste, Defender of the Light. Rise, and take your place among us who came before and those who will come after”. Vaek stepped back, and handed his sword back to her as she rose to her feet. Tears still flowing, Cyleste quietly accepted the sword from his hand and placed it on her side. “Now Cyleste, I will charge you with your first duty. Remember what you see here today. Remember those of us fell. Remember the dead. And when our people are cannot find their path and the light seems a weak flicker, tell them about us. Tell about how we swore to fight for the living. Tell them…” Vaek stopped. Staring off past the Exodar and to the morning sky above it, he spoke wistfully “Tell them it was a glorious day.” A chorus of shouts broke Vaek from his thoughts. Looking back to the advancing army, he could now clearly see the orc army. Dark magic blackened the sky above them. He was out of time. Vaek spun back around to Cyleste. “Go now. GO!!” he shouted. Cyleste bit her lip and nodded at him before running back towards the Exodar and the evacuees, who were now in a full panic because of the nearby orcs. Vaek ran to the battlements and took his place among the other soldiers. The cacophony of the orcish war drums drowned out all other noises now. The orcs paused in their movement then, a league separating them from the Draenei defensive line. Silence flowed between the armies like a gentle breeze. All at once, the two armies roared and charged at each other, crashing together like dark tides on the ocean.

Cyleste ran to the Exodar, the sounds of the battle echoing underneath the din of the evacuees as all panicked to get on board. Cyleste herded and pulled people up the gantry and into the main hold, the roar of the frightened crowd pressing in her ears. Vindicators and other crew members shoving people through the ship as the whine of the engines began to override all other noises. As the crowd mobbed through the hallway, Cyleste saw a mother lose her grip on a small child, the mass of people sweeping them further apart. She sprang into the crowd, shoving and pushing, until she got to little girl and pushed her against a nearby bulkhead, out of the way of the crowd. Just then, a hoof caught her in her shin. The panicked rush became a full stampede as the gantries were retracted and the loading doors began to shut. Losing her balance, Cyleste took a kick to her side, then her back and arms. The crowd trampled over her, some falling while others simply ran over her. Another hoof to her chest winded her as yet another blow connected with her head. Cyleste’s vision exploded into waves of pain as everything darkened around her. The roar of the crowd drowning out the sound of her own labored breathing, she just laid there waiting for death to take her. She became conscious of hands gently lifting her up and carrying her above the crowd. Her vision dipped and swirled, unable to focus on one thing. Gentle hands placed her down in a laid out position and with a soft click, the noise of the crowd was silenced. And as the pod initialized, surrounding Cyleste in the cold embrace of cryo-sleep, words repeated themselves in her mind. “Remember the dead,” he said “…Fight for the living”

Vaek lay bleeding on the ground. Arrows jutted from one leg, sending bolts of pain through him every time he struggled to lift himself up. A blade strike had taken off a horn and part of his scalp, with blood blocking and shutting one eye. Forcing himself with the last energy he had, he lifted himself up on one arm, the other a ragged stump being what remained. How many had they taken? A hundred? A thousand? And yet still, he saw orcs and demons rush past him, shouting and screaming in blood rage. One large orc charged at him, its axe raised high in the air. As the blade came down, Vaek spied off the orcs shoulder the sight of the Exodar as it lifted in the sky and winked into the heavens. A warm light surrounded him as his life faded away, with his last thoughts of a small girl who wore the sun like a crown, and that it really was a great day…

I like the notion that the end came pretty fast. It will be totally great when Cyleste (and others) get to level 70 and go back to outland and go....oh crap! this is what happened!